Jilliecat

Wednesday

Recently I visited the Bobbi Brown counter to check out their foundations since my Mac Face and Body is running low. I was given 2 samples to take home, shade 2.5 Warm Sand in the Natural Finish Foundation and shade 2.5 Warm Sand in the Skin Foundation.

I just wanted to put up a few swatches comparing the Bobbi Brown foundations in 2.5 Warm Sand to Mac and MUFE foundations.

As you can see, the Bobbi Brown Foundations are quite a bit lighter compared to the other foundations. Due to the very different consistencies of the foundations, once properly blended most of them are good matches for my skin right now, excluding Mac Studio Sculpt NC30 and MUFE HD in 127 which are a tad bit too dark for me right now. Mac Studio Sculpt NC25 never really matched me correctly. Something about it makes me look pale and sick. The Mac Face and Body foundation in C3 when blended into my face is the most perfect match out of these foundations.

Also, Bobbi Brown's Natural Finish Foundation runs a tad bit lighter than the Skin Foundation. I don't know if you can tell in the picture. Both of the Bobbi Brown Foundations would probably suit a Mac NC25, especially since they are lighter coverage than the other swatches, they end being a better match once completely blended in.

Regardless of the colors not being a perfect match, I decided I really liked the Bobbi Brown SKIN foundation. I felt like the Natural Finish foundation gave me a bit of a powdery look.

I ended up going back to the Bobbi Brown counter and this time was matched to shade 3 Beige in the Skin Foundation. This matches me perfectly and would probably be great for someone who is in between a Mac NC25 and NC30 like I am (NC27?).

Anyway here are a few swatches with Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in 3 Beige compared to Mac's ProLongwear foundation and Studio Sculpt Foundation.

I love how the Bobbi Brown shade has a bit more golden beige tones. Even though the other 2 look similar, they are heavier coverage so once applied to the face they actually make my skin look paler, while the lighter coverage Bobbi Brown foundation blends seamlessly and provides a perfect match.

Sunday

I've been wanting to post about 2 eyeshadow palettes I've been obsessed with the past few weeks.

First one is the much talked about Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I didn't know whether to pick the 1 or the 2, but the sales girl at Ulta advised me to pick the #2. The colors are so pigmented and perfect for me as lately I've been more into neutral eyes with just a slight pop of color. That is where the next palette comes in.

The next palette is The Balm Shady Lady Volume 3. I just love ALL the colors in this palette. I actually picked this up at Marshalls for somewhere around $15.00. Great deal!

My favorite color from this palette is "Come Hither Heather".. The 3rd one of the second row. It is a beautiful silvery taupey type color that goes great in any color combo. In the picture it looks very similar to the first color, but is decently darker in real life.

If you are looking for some new eyeshadows I definitely recomend these 2 palettes.

Thursday

Not long ago I was contacted by Brian from Misikko.com to review the Hana Titanium Ionic Flat Iron 1.5". Of course I accepted =).

Customer service wise this company seems to be great. Brian was extremely polite in our emails. After I sent my shipping address I received the package 3 days later. I was extra excited when I opened it because not only did I see the Flat Iron and its components which included a nice travel case and heat proof mat, but I also saw other goodies such as ELF eyeshadow and a heart shaped container of soap rose petals.

Below is a picture of the Hana Titanium Flat Iron on the heat proof mat. As you can see the plates are mirrored which I thought was fantastic. The dials light up blue and when the iron has reached your desired temperature, a red light blinks to let you know it's ready.

Below is the top view of the iron (1.5")

Here are some Hana Titanium features:

World's smoothest Titanium plates

Tourmaline infused into the heating elements for maximum thermal protection

Large Integrated Tourmaline Ceramic Heaters with Full Plate Coverage for the Most Consistent, Conditioning Far Infrared Heat Possible

(My hair is more on the thick side and naturally wavy. The before images are taken right after blow drying with a flat paddle brush. FYI I had the iron setting at 370 degrees F.)

Silk!

Grade: A+

I've honestly fallen in love with this Hana Titanium Ionic Flat Iron. I've been using my zebra Cortex for the past 2 years and I was satisfied with the results.. BUT after using the Hana Titanium I don't think I could go back. I was amazed at the feeling of each piece of hair going through the iron as it felt like butter! I did not have to go over any hair an extra time which I loved. It cut the time I usually take to straighten my hair in half. I also love the fact that this flat iron has mirrored plates, which means no cracks and no breaking precious pieces of hair off!! This iron is also very light weight. In the end it left my hair looking and feeling like silk. I truly can not find any cons with this product. =)

Wednesday

"Glamour Girl" Lips - Overdrawing the top lip to make lips appear more seductive, one of the styles in Making Faces, by Kevyn Aucoin. I used my Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 and blended over my natural lip line so it didn't appear as obvious. I then used Nyx Lipliner in Purple Rain to draw the outline of my lips. I only went a bit higher than my natural lip line so it wouldn't look totally unnatural. Last I filled in with Mac Violetta lipstick, which matches almost perfect with Nyx Purple Rain.

I've been eyeing these sexy little boots by Christian Siriano which are part of the Payless collection. When I finally got to the store they were sold out of my size so I had to order online. I ended up getting them on sale for $49.99 and they feel comfy as can be. There are so many cute outfits these would go great with I can't wait for the weather to get a bit cooler =)

Sunday

I was curious about Mac's new Matchmaster foundation, so when I went to the counter to pick out some things from the Styledriven collection, I asked to take a sample home. The MA gave me a sample of shades 1.5 and 2, not sure which one would suit me better. For reference I am NC30. I haven't actually worn the foundation out yet so I have no review to give, but here are some swatches compared to other Mac foundations.

Mac's Matchmaster Foundation in 1.5 seems to be a bit too light and also pink compared to the NC30's. Matchmaster Foundation in 2 is a bit deeper, and a bit more peachy and less yellow than the NC30's, but pretty close. Since the Matchmaster foundation is supposed to let your real skin tone show through, it should not matter if the color is slightly off in a swatch. For someone who is NC30 I would probably suggest shade 2, or even the next shade darker. I think 1.5 would be much too light.

I've been loving Inglot's eyeshadow in #501 so much lately. #501 is a light matte grey with silver sparkles. It almost has a slight purplish hue to it when on and has minimal fallout compared to some of my other inglot shadows. Its great to wear if you want a slight smokey eye but nothing too intense.﻿